Map Generator Required
Odd title for a thread I know, but I believe the lack of visual information in SIGMET and NOTAM information is a major flaw in this day and age. Air Services staff apparently manually draw out little maps of SIGMET areas to help fellow ATC staff. Pilots? Do it yourself mate, here are all the coordinates... There are only 9 SIGMETs out currently across the Melbourne and Brisbane FIR at the moment as I write this...
I could go on. Survey aircraft often supply map type information to ATC which certainly must help when they interact over the airwaves about what umpteenth run they are up to now... Pilots are left to make up their own mental picture of the operating area - if they can be bothered.
Not only that but in 'this day and age,' experts everywhere are telling us of the impending drone explosion. So I guess we can expect to see an awful lot more NOTAMs like this one:
MELBOURNE FIR (YMMM)
C7604/13
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE (UAV) OPERATIONS WITHIN THE AREAS PRESCRIBED
BELOW:
AREA A:
LATERAL LIMITS: S21 20.9 E115 01.5, S21 35.8 E115 02.9, S21 45.6 E114
17.1, S21 30.0 E114 14.8, S21 20.9 E115 01.5.
VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC - 1000'
AREA B:
LATERAL LIMITS: S21 35.8 E115 02.9, S21 41.4 E115 02.9, S21 43.4 E114
53.5, S21 38.5 E114 50.5, S21 35.8 E115 02.9.
VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC - 500'
AREA C:
LATERAL LIMITS: S21 26.4 E115 02.0, S21 28.7 E115 02.3, S21 28.7 E114
57.2, S21 26.3 E114 57.1, S21 26.4 E115 02.0.
VERTICAL LIMITS: SFC - 5000'
CALLSIGN UNMANNED AEROSONDE
PIC WILL MAINTAIN A LISTENING WATCH ON 122.4, 125.9 (ML CEN) & 120.1
(CTAF) DURING FLIGHT OPS. MELBOURNE CENTRE WILL HAVE IFR FLIGHT PLAN
DETAILS.
CONTACT PAUL HERRMANN ON 0438 581 003 FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
FROM 12 042200 TO 12 201000
HJ
How long is it going to take before someone has a close encounter/mid air collision simply because they could not/would not/did not take the time to plot out these sorts of gobbly gook NOTAMs? How hard can it be to supply this information in a small map which can give pilots an instant picture of whether it is going to affect them or not? Even a link provided for each NOTAM/SIGMET (which has coordinates defining its area) to a map website which can show the area boundary would be a great improvement.
I think it is time...